Christine Schanes is a speaker and public educator. She has been working for over two decades to give insight into the issues of homelessness. Collaborating with government leaders, various organizations, schools, and other groups, Schanes creates workshops and special programs regarding the topic of homelessness. Schanes founded the Center for Justice and Social Compassion E-Z ID Clinic Program, which helps... read full bio
Christopher Mcdonough was the Chief Brand and Sales Officer for LL Bean where he was responsible for all brand, marketing and sales activity through retail, e-commerce, and international divisions. He is currently the CEO of Corkcicle. Prior to his current job, Mcdonough was the Senior Brand Director for Mars Petcare, and went on to become the European and German Commercial... read full bio
David Kessler is an expert on healing and loss. He has had numerous experiences dealing with life, death, and other tragedies. Kessler has learned to keep his happiness through life’s punches and loves to share his experiences and positivity with others. He is an author of five best-selling books, “You Can Heal Your Heart”, “Divorce or Death with Louise Hay”,... read full bio
Dr. Nick Bontis is a Canadian business professor, professional speaker, management consultant, sports executive, and author. As a keynote speaker, Bontis has worked for clients such as the United Nations, the US Navy, Microsoft, IBM, Century 21, and more to help them succeed in the world of technology. He is Professor of Strategic Management and Chair of Strategic Management at... read full bio
Iman Oubou is the founder and editor-in-chief of SWAAY Media. SWAAY Media is known as Forbes meets Vogue, it’s a digital media brand for women that covers tech, culture, and business news. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Oubou was a former beauty queen, she won Miss New York US and was the 2nd runner up for the Miss United States... read full bio
Dr. Julian Hosp is a highly regarded expert in the fields of blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, and their diverse applications. With a diverse background as a trauma surgeon and professional athlete, he brings a unique perspective to the world of digital currencies. Driven by a passion for innovation and knowledge sharing, Hosp is not only a renowned author and keynote speaker... read full bio
Luis Angel-Lalanne is currently the Vice President in Customer Listening at American Express. He has had several roles over his nearly 20 years working for American Express which include, Manager of Credit Risk Management, Director of Assistant to Chief Credit Officer, Director of Small Business Risk Management, and Vice President of World Service Compliance Testing and Customer Communication Management. Prior... read full bio
Mark Ramadan is co-founder of Sir Kensington’s ketchup. As the co-founder and CEO of Sir Kensington’s, Ramadan manages all the day-to-day operations and focuses on the long-term strategy of the company. Prior to his work with Sir Kensington’s, Ramadan worked as an analyst for Goldman Sachs and then was a business analyst for McKinsey & Company. Ramadan graduated with a... read full bio
Susan Bennett is an American voice actor best known for being the voice of Apples Siri. She graduated from Brown University where she acted in theater productions, was apart of the jazz band, and was a singer in their a cappella group. Her first voice acting gig was voicing the First National Bank of Atlantas Tillie the All-Time Teller. Other... read full bio
Maria Konnikova is a Russian-American writer, psychologist, and poker player. She is author of two New York Times best-selling books, “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes” and “The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It… Every Time”. Konnikova has a B.A. in psychology and creative writing from Harvard University and a Ph.D in psychology from Columbia University. Upon graduating... read full bio
Tarell Alvin McCraney is an American actor and playwright from Liberty City, Florida. He has been the chair of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and is a member of Teo Castellanos/D Projects Theater Company in Miami and has been the RSC/Warwick International Playwright in Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company. McCraney has co-written the Academy Award award-winning film... read full bio
Yusef Salaam was wrongfully convicted along with four other teens for a crime they didn’t commit. They became known as the Central Park Five and at the time, Salaam was only 15 years old when his life was changed forever. The Central Park Five spent between seven and 13 years of their lives behind bars before their sentences were overturned.... read full bio
Brendan Kane is a best-selling author, business and innovation strategist who empowers brands to scale, expand, and accelerate their business influence. Over the years Kane has worked with Fortune 500 corporations, brands, and celebrities such as Paramount, Taylor Swift, Yahoo!, MTV, Sony, Vice, CMT, Rihanna, Lionsgate, NHL, and many more. Kane is also author of “One Million Followers”, which tells... read full bio
Jessica Bruder is an American journalist who writes about subcultures and social issues and has taught narrative writing at Columbia Journalism School. She graduated from Amherst College and received a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Bruder has contributed to outlets such as, WIRED, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and more.... read full bio
Radha Agrawal is co-founder of THINX and co-founder, CEO and Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker. Daybreaker is an early morning dance and wellness movement that is currently in 25 cities and is held in over a dozen college campuses around the world. THINX is an underwear company that supports women during their menstruation and it has now grown into a... read full bio
Nina Tandon is a biotech specialist. She is the CEO and co-founder of EpiBone, a “grow your own bone,” bone reconstruction company. Utilizing patient stem cells, EpiBone is able to reconstruct and repair bone-related injury. Apart from her work with EpiBone, Tandon is a professor of Electrical Engineering at the Cooper Union and an electrical and biomedical engineer at Columbia... read full bio
Jeff Kaplan is founder of Cloud Computing Showplace and managing director of THINKstrategies, Inc. He founded THINKstrategies to focus on the new on-demand services such as Cloud Computer, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Managed Services on IT, Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Kaplan graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Urban Planning and went on to earn his... read full bio
David Robertson is an innovation and product management expert. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. Robertson is well-known for his study of the LEGO Group. He was the LEGO Professor of Innovation and Technology Management at the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland. Robertson authored the award-winning Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the... read full bio
Kimberly Bryant is an American electrical engineer who has founded Black Girls Code, which is a training course that teaches basic programming to underrepresented black girls in technology careers. Since the founding of Black Girls Code, Bryant has been featured in Business Insider as one of the ’25 Most Influential African-Americans In Technology’. Bryant graduated from Vanderbilt University with a... read full bio
Ross Smith is an author, thought-leader, innovator, and Director of Test at Microsoft. He has been working in the technology industry for over 20 years and has worked on everything from handheld devices, PC’s to mainframe systems. He started his career with Microsoft in Product Support and has since gone on to be a Test Lead, Test Manager, and Test... read full bio
